Heaven Shall Burn

Heaven Shall Burn was formed in autumn 1996, under the name 'Consense'. With the recording of their second demo in early 1997 the band changed their name to 'Heaven Shall Burn'. The name is taken from a Marduk album titled "Heaven Shall Burn... When We Are Gathered". In an interview with the band at decoymusic.com, the band said: "It's not that we're huge Marduk fans, but we liked the name. It sounds a bit provoking and so people ask us again and again for the meaning behind our name. It has been like that since the very beginning.

We use the term ?heaven? as a metaphor for some kind of a fake paradise that people create in their heads. Some people close their eyes and don't see the truth surrounding them. So this kind of fake heaven should burn. Some people might think that our name is an anti-religious statement, but it isn't."[citation needed]

In 1998 the band released an MCD entitled "In Battle There Is No Law" followed by a split-LP with "Fall of Serenity" in 1999. Following these releases the band signed to Lifeforce Records for their 2000 debut album "Asunder". It was followed by a split-CD with their long-time friends Caliban in 2000 as well as 2002's album "Whatever It May Take". In 2002, "In Battle There Is No Law" was re-released through Circulation Records.

Upon the release of 'Whatever it May Take' , Heaven Shall Burn toured through England and South-America, and finally to Iceland. There they met Ol?fur Arnalds, who wrote three classical interlude parts for their album 'Antigone'. These songs are Echoes, Risandi Von and Deyjandi Von. The three songs consist mostly of violin and piano, although in Echoes and Risandi Von you can hear weak noises of a war raging in the background.

In 2004, the band released "Antigone" through Century Media Records, featuring more of a melodic edge due to more harmonies and Scandinavian style dual guitar work. The album was produced by Patrick W. Engel and engineered by Ralf M?ller at Rape Of Harmony Studios, Germany. It was mixed and mastered by Tue Madsen at Antfarm Studio, Denmark.

In December 2005, guitarist Patrick Schleitzer left the band amicably. He was replaced by Alexander Dietz, who had already performed guest vocals on some of the band's prior tracks.

In 2006, the band released "Deaf To Our Prayers" through Century Media Records. It was recorded and mixed by producer Jacob Hansen (Mercenary, Raunchy) and following its release, Deaf To Our Prayers entered the official LP charts in Germany at position 65 and in Greece at position 50[citation needed]. The band supported the album with touring throughout Europe on the Hell on Earth Tour featuring As I Lay Dying and Evergreen Terrace. Heaven Shall Burn toured with Caliban in December of 2006 and played on festivals like the Rock Hard Festival and Wacken Open Air Festival in 2007.

The fan popular and critically acclaimed album "Whatever it May Take" saw a re-release in 2007. The entire album was a re-mix of the original recordings and contained absolutely no re-recordings or additional material, for the exception of the addition of the track "io" which was a long forgotten acoustic piece played by Patrick Schleitzer. The album was marked with new art work and a new song order.

In February 2008, Iconoclast (Part One: The Final Resistance) was released to positive reviews from critics and fans alike. The album lyrically reviews subjects such as Laicism, Nietzsche's ?God is dead? philosophy, heroes of the German Resistance in World War II and their country's ongoing struggle to reconcile with its past.

Following announcements on the official site, Heaven Shall Burn has stated it will be releasing a DVD named ''Bildersturm Iconoclast Part II: The Visual Resistance. The DVD will contain two live shows (Summer Breeze 2008 / Vienna) and a documentary.